Latest news with #Protestors
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
STEPHEN DAISLEY: Of leaks, Lefty mobs, sulks and secret sojourns to Larkhall pubs
With polling day approaching in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election, Nigel Farage spent yesterday campaigning in an obvious location: Aberdeen. The Reform leader ventured north to the Granite City harbour where he unveiled the defection of a local Tory councillor at the Silver Darling fish restaurant, but soon enough it was Mr Farage claiming to have been done up like a kipper. Waiting to greet him outside the seafood eatery was a small coterie of protestors. They hoisted a banner that read: 'Farage not welcome in Scotland', and to emphasise the point, chanted 'throw Farage in the sea'. Oh, that's a great idea. He'll swim ashore and have a council house and indefinite leave to remain before he's dried himself off. The demonstrators also chanted: 'Nigel, go home'. Too right. We don't stand for xenophobia around these parts, matey. Go back where you came from. Coming over here, taking our— Ah. Might have to think this one through. Mr Farage's team accused a broadsheet newspaper of leaking his whereabouts, allowing left-wing activists to locate him. Ordinarily they would just stake out the nearest Question Time studio. After a terse exchange with one reporter, Mr Farage declared the game a bogey and skulked off, taking his ball with him. Ditching the print hacks, he buddied up with his pals at the BBC. Bleedin' liberal establishment. They always stick together. This is where Mr Farage made a bold choice and decided to visit the constituency where his party is contesting a by-election. He popped into a boozer in Larkhall to talk politics with the regulars. If nothing else, he's a very brave man. All the while the poor, deadline-bound hacks pounded the pavements of Hamilton, hoping to find Mr Farage at his party's headquarters on Quarry Street. Alas, in the vein of Macavity the Mystery Cat, you may seek him on the stump, or in the campaign hub, you may seek him on the doorsteps, but Nigel's down the pub. What did the good burghers of the constituency make of these shenanigans? Some reported favourable sentiments towards Mr Farage while others said only a few words, all of them of the four-letter variety. He divides opinion north of the border like no one since Margaret Thatcher, and he's never even snatched a wean's milk away. All this makes him that rarest of characteristics in Scottish politics: interesting. Whatever else might be said of the man, he's not a dullard. Likes a drink, never without a fag, bit of a Del Boy, but at least he doesn't scold you for your lifestyle choices, or your carbon emissions, or your gendered language, or your micro-aggressions. There's a great relief to be found in a politician who just wants to leave you alone. Still, his cross-border incursions into Scotland seldom go to plan. A 2013 foray to Edinburgh ended with him barricaded in a pub as a student mob raged outside. Eventually, he had to be extricated by the police, who snuck him out in one of their vehicles and sped him off to safety. It wasn't the first time a punter had been bundled out of an Old Town pub and into the back of a polis van but it might well have been the first time the punter in question had requested it. We can expect more visits from Mr Farage. His party is making a good showing the polls for next year's Holyrood elections, and if they can win round voters scunnered with the mainstream parties, there is a chance Reform could become a genuine force in Scottish politics. With any luck, Mr Farage's media team will resist the alluring temptations of professionalism and will continue to delight us with chaotic trips north of the border. Leaked locations and lefty mobs, paranoid sulks and secret sojourns in Larkhall bars. More of all of these, please. Mr Farage might be a chancer but he's a welcome break from all those bland mediocrities at Holyrood.
Jordan Times
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Jordan Times
Parade, protests kick off Eurovision Song Contest week
Protestors hold Palestinian flags and signs as they attend a demonstration against Israel's participation during the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 opening ceremony in Basel on Sunday (AFP photo) BASEL, Switzerland -- The Eurovision Song Contest burst into Basel on Sunday, but a parade launching a week of build-up to the grand final was marked by protests over Israel's participation. The Swiss city is hosting the 69th edition of the world's biggest annual live televised music event, reaching around 160 million viewers. Organisers said tens of thousands of spectators took to the streets to welcome the 37 artists representing the competing countries. Europop beats, dramatic staging and earworm choruses dominate the stage but Eurovision's light-hearted kitsch often unfolds against a backdrop of serious geopolitics. A demonstration took place on Sunday to protest Israel's participation in the contest as the nation ramps up its war in Gaza, which has claimed tens of thousands of lives. As the parade began outside Basel's iconic 500-year-old city hall, around a dozen Palestinian flags could be seen waving in the crowd. One banner read: "Israel: open Gaza's borders. Let aid in". One flag-waving protester was tackled by police officers. Some held up signs reading: "No applause for genocide" and "Singing while Gaza burns". 'Throat-slitting gesture' The competition is organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the world's biggest public service media alliance, of which Israel's broadcaster Kan is a member. Its entrant this year is Yuval Raphael. She survived the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the war in Gaza, hiding beneath dead bodies as Hamas gunmen attacked a music festival, killing hundreds. As she emerged from the city hall, Raphael, 24, waved and blew kisses to the crowd and posed for photographs, waving the Israeli flag. Kan said it had filed a complaint with Swiss police "following an incident in which a young man wearing a keffiyeh and holding a Palestinian flag made a throat-slitting gesture toward Yuval Raphael and members of the Israeli Eurovision delegation". AFP has sought a comment from the Basel police and the EBU. Basel resident Birgit Althaler, was among the demonstrators. "Israel has always used Eurovision as a platform for propaganda. And it's also scandalous that the city of Basel for example, does nothing," she told AFP. "It's important that Eurovision changes," she said. 'Vibrant energy' Switzerland is hosting after Swiss vocalist Nemo won Eurovision 2024 in Malmo with the highly personal song "The Code". Nemo has joined calls for Israel to be thrown out of the event. "Israel's actions are fundamentally at odds with the values that Eurovision claims to uphold -- peace, unity, and respect for human rights," the singer told the Huffington Post news website. Basel's emergency services said the parade to the Messeplatz square "went off without any significant problems" "The police were able to stop around 150 people at the Messeplatz through their presence and thus prevent the official event from being disrupted," it said in a brief statement. Vintage trams and buses took the performers along the so-called "turquoise carpet" parade route -- the longest in Eurovision history at 1.3 kilometres. The parade was accompanied by drummers, carnival groups, marching bands, alphorn players and techno DJ sets. "The moment we have eagerly awaited is finally here," said Conradin Cramer, president of the Basel City canton, declaring Eurovision 2025 officially open. "The stage is ready. Excitement fills the air and the entire city is buzzing with a unique and vibrant energy." Sweden and Austria out front The semifinals on Tuesday and Thursday will eliminate 11 countries, leaving 26 nations to contest Saturday's final at the St. Jakobshalle arena. Sweden's entry KAJ -- from Finland's Swedish-speaking minority -- are the hot favourites to win, with a comical take on the joy of having a sauna. "The plan is to win for Sweden then the Finns can feel it's basically their win but Sweden pays for it," quipped the group's Jakob Norrgard. Austria's JJ is the bookmakers' second-favourite with "Wasted Love", a song in the mould of last year's winner, "The Code", combining operatic vocals and modern beats. "I'm very excited. Obviously there's a little bit of pressure because people have high expectations," JJ told AFP. "When I saw Nemo's performance, I was blown away. But we have different styles. I'm glad that people see similarities and are comparing me to a former winner," he said. Page 2
